Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

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To produce fluffy mashed potatoes, boil the potatoes whole in their skins so they will absorb less water. Then use a potato ricer. Place the cooked potatoes in the perforated chamber, set the tool over a bowl and squeeze the handles. The potatoes emerge as fluffy, ricelike grains that blend readily with other ingredients, such as the brown butter used here.

Ingredients:

12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

10 to 12 fresh sage leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

3 lb. small Yukon Gold potatoes, skins on and left whole

3/4 cup milk

Directions:

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 8 Tbs. (1 stick) of the butter. When the foam subsides, add the sage leaves and fry until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sage leaves to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking the butter until it is brown but not smoking, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour into a heatproof bowl and set aside.

Put the potatoes and 1 Tbs. salt in a large saucepan and add water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain well in a colander.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, combine the remaining 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter and the milk and heat until the butter melts and the mixture is hot, about 8 minutes.

Set a potato ricer over a large bowl and pass the potatoes through in batches, removing the skins from the ricer as needed. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the milk mixture and 4 to 5 Tbs. of the brown butter until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the potatoes to a serving dish. Garnish with the sage leaves and drizzle with the remaining brown butter. Serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10.